


Before the Curtain Rises

by Sapph1c



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF, mcyt
Genre: Alternate Universe - Actors, Alternate Universe - Theatre, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Gen, How Do I Tag, I wrote this in like an hour, Kinda, Ranboo-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Sam does stage management no i will not take criticism, Theatre kid AU, Web Series: Tales from the SMP, based on a tweet, no beta we die like ranboo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:14:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29199702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sapph1c/pseuds/Sapph1c
Summary: One-shots from the lives of Theatre kids. An au of the DSMP cast.If any cc says they are uncomfortable by these I will take it down immediately.
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & Clay | Dream, Floris | Fundy & Ranboo, Niki | Nihachu & Ranboo, Niki | Nihachu & Ranboo & Technoblade, Ranboo & Technoblade, Ranboo & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Ranboo & Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Sam | Awesamdude & TommyInnit, Technoblade & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Toby Smith | Tubbo & Technoblade & TommyInnit, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Comments: 6
Kudos: 287





	1. And so it begins

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on a tweet my friend @simpingboisinc posted on Twitter so please go check her out :)  
> This is my first fanfic I've done for this fandom.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lil one-shot about how Ranboo and Tubbo met during season 2? of DSMP in this au :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't expect so many people to like this but I really enjoyed making the last one so have another.
> 
> These chapters are not in chronological order but I will hopefully deal with that at some point in the future.

“Remind me not to get on Wilbur’s bad side.” Technoblade laughed from where he sat behind the stage.

Tommy had just finished rehearsing a particularly intense scene for the up-and-coming part 2 of the DSMP series of plays – Tubbo couldn’t remember what the name was. Wilbur had made them go through the scene over and over again because it ‘just wasn’t quite right’. You could tell that Tommy thought that was bullshit.

“If I have to hear the line ‘Tommy are we the villains’ one more dam time I’m going to start stabbing shit.” The tall teen grimaced, walking over and grabbing his water bottle from next to Tubbo. “I swear ever since he started writing these plays, he’s been using it as an excuse to torture me.”

“He just wants it to be perfect man,” Tubbo reminded, offering the taller some of the crisps he was eating. “You know how he is.”

“Yeh, yeh I know.” Tommy waved him off.

Wilbur called for a break, letting the cast take a moment to find their scripts and prepare for the next part of rehearsal.

“How you feeling about the lighting for the execution scene Techno?” Tubbo asked, turning to the man who had been reading his book.

“I talked it through with Sam and Callahan, we have to time it right, but it’ll be good from what I’ve seen.” He shrugged, eyes not leaving ‘The Art of War’. “It’s definitely going to be the reason we have an epilepsy warning for the show though.”

Tubbo nodded, they all knew what was in store for their characters and even though Wilbur’s writing was amazing, they still relied on the techies to pull the scenes together with lighting and sound. It wouldn’t be a good show without them.

“Hey! Tommy!” A voice called out to Tommy from the stairs next to the lighting booth.

A tall, lanky figure ran down the steps towards them. Having drawn the attention of about half the room, he seemed to shrink in on himself a little as he slowed to stop next to the little group.

“I’m Ranboo, I’m spotting for this show.” Lanky boy introduced himself, seeming a little nervous but continued anyway. “I was wondering if you had any preference on how you would want to be spotted in this scene.” 

Ranboo, who had been holding a script covered in notes, pointed at the scene Wilbur had just forced them to repeat about a bazillion times. Tommy looked from the script to Ranboo.

“Uh. I don’t know I haven’t really thought about it.” He shrugged.

Ranboo seemed to light up at that. “Oh, well that’s fine. I’ve had some ideas about how we, I mean I, could spot you.”

Tommy looked from the teen who, despite towering above him, was acting like an excited puppy, to Tubbo and Techno. Tubbo was listening to Ranboo as he ate his crisps. He stopped munching to provide input for Ranboo. Techno, on the other hand, was still reading his book, smiling slightly as he listened to the two talk.

Tuning back into the conversation between Tubbo and Ranboo, Tommy listened with mild interest, as Tubbo and Ranboo bounced off each other with ideas about how to use the lighting to bring Tommy’s character to life.

“And then you can bring it back in like the realisation that Wilbur’s gone completely nuts is setting in." Tubbo grinned at Ranboo, who nodded enthusiastically.

“Yeh yeh that sounds good. Do what you want just make sure to tell me the cues I need.” Tommy slouched down against the chair next to Technoblade, finally letting himself be hit by exhaustion. “I’m just gonna take a quick nap here.”

Tubbo laughed, pulling Ranboo away from Tommy, who was now resting his head on Techno’s shoulder attempting to sleep.

“Don’t mind him. He’s just tired, Wilbur works him really hard because he knows that Tommy’s capable of a lot but sometimes, I think he forgets that his brother is still human.” Tubbo glanced back at his friend as he led Ranboo over to the stage.

“It’s alright I probably should have asked at a better time.” Ranboo’s eyes flicked around the room, anxiously shifting from one foot to the other.

Tubbo shook his head, grabbing the 6’6 techie by his arm. “It’s alright, you asked at a perfectly good time, besides you probably wouldn’t have been able to catch him any other way. With how Tommy wanders off whenever he can.”

They sat down with their backs to the stage for a second, the silence between them was bearable but not quite comfortable. So Tubbo filled it.

“Do you think I could see what you’ve had planned for some of the other scenes?” He asked. “In terms of lighting, I mean.”

“Here, I’m really looking forward to the execution – I mean not because you almost die but because it’s really cool with the lights and - “

“I know I know. I get it” Tubbo laughed.

Ranboo turned a little red out of embarrassment, letting his breathing slow before continuing. “There’s going to be some really cool light patterns that have been synced with the sound. Pretty sure, Sam helped program it. We tested them the other day and it looked so cool.”

Tubbo nodded. Urging the other boy to continue.

The conversation lasted until Wilbur called for them to start up with the next scene. Tubbo and Ranboo both had to return to their places with the other cast and crew.

“Are you planning on auditioning for the next show?” Tubbo asked before Ranboo could make his way back to the lightbox.

“Oh, I haven’t really thought about it.” Ranboo shrugged, scribbling down some final notes on his script so he wouldn’t forget. “I might, performing looks really fun but I’d have to you know.”

He waved his hand in the general direction of Wilbur, who was talking to Sam about the positioning of props on the stage.

“Actually, talk to the director.” Tubbo nodded, “Yeh that’s definitely daunting. How about this. If you ever feel like auditioning, which you should, you seem like you have so many ideas for characters, dm me.”

Tubbo took a pencil out of his pocket and scribbled down his discord onto a spare piece of paper.

“Thank you. I definitely will.” Ranboo smiled, pocketing the note.

The rest of the rehearsal continued as normal. And if two teenagers played Portal 2 until 2 am that night, that was their business.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again thank you for reading.
> 
> My twitter, twitch and pretty much everything is noodle_sok so if you want to find more updates about when I'm writing feel free to check those out.


	2. And so it begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One-shot of the minutes before a Tales from the SMP show, just a little nostalgia for all us theatre kids who haven't been able to be in shows for ages.

It was almost time.

The show would be starting soon. After weeks of rehearsal, it was almost time.

The excitement that filled the room was infectious. The drone of many conversations and much movement filled the theatre.

Cast and crew alike were scurrying around, making sure everything was in place and ready. This was a big show, and everybody wanted it to go well. Actors were called into rooms with make-up artists, a tech waved the stage manager over to them, to clarify the placement of props, and the timing of light and sound changes.

Shouting could be heard from the dressing room. One actor was being chased by a taller, lanky teen. Fundy laughed at Ranboo, holding the teen’s mask as he ducked behind a crew member passing out mics, weaving around the people walking about the hall. Ranboo narrowly avoided crashing into the techie, slowing only to provide a quick apology, before bolting after Fundy.

Behind the stage, Niki had pulled Techno aside to help with his hair. The man had grown frustrated, unable to tie his hair right due to his nerves making his hands shake. Niki reassured him that he would be fine, pulling his hair back into the right place. It was the first time Techno had landed a main role in one of the TFTS Theatre Company’s productions, it was no surprise that he was nervous.

In the left-wing, Dream had asked Quackity to help him run through his lines one last time before the show. The urgency of the request was apparent to both but that didn’t stop Quackity poking fun at Dream about his acting or the way he said a line. Dream knew they had both been through their lines a hundred times over, but he wanted to make sure it was perfect. Quackity on the other hand was confident that even if he slipped up (which he wouldn’t), he’d be able to cover it up with a dash of improvisation. Partway through Sapnap had made his way over and was only making it harder for Dream to actually get through his lines between the jokes and teasing.

Ranboo had managed to get his mask back from Fundy and had made his way over to the dressing rooms again. He passed Techno and Niki, asking if they wanted him to grab their costumes for them. He’d been part of quite a few of these productions in the past, as both cast and crew. Knowing there would be a rush later, before the soundcheck, he grabbed a couple of mics from Tubbo, who was on sound with Callahan, on his way back to Techno and Niki. Passing off the costumes to Niki and Techno, Ranboo shuffled into a free changing room and switched out of his everyday clothes and into the suit he’d been provided with. It didn’t take long, he spent most of his time wearing suits anyway. After tying his red tie, he grabbed the black waistcoat he’d been given and pulled it over the white collared shirt. Grabbing his clothes and mask, he stepped back outside to see Techno struggling with his suit.

Despite his mask covering his face, Techno was clearly only getting more and more frustrated as he failed to button up the suit. When Ranboo offered to help, Techno quickly accepted. Fingers moving in familiar practiced motions, Ranboo buttoned up his friend’s suit quickly. Stepping back to make sure it had been done right, he grinned at Techno with a thumbs up. To which Techno scoffed, passing him his forgotten mask.

Karl had made his way over to them with Bad, Quackity, and Sapnap, dragging Techno away for a last-minute check that they all knew their ques. Dream, Niki, Fundy, and Ranboo had already been through their cues with Karl since they’d arrived earlier in the day so Ranboo stayed put. Opting instead, to pulling his mask over his eyes, frowning when it didn’t feel quite right. But he brushed it off to instead help Niki lace up the back of her dress.

The dress was beautiful and the mask it had been paired with suited Niki perfectly. All of the costumes and props were incredibly made, small details bringing together entire characters. With how some of the costumes had come out looking in the past, Ranboo wouldn't be surprised if the makers had infused the pieces with magic. That wasn't even mentioning the sets that had been built by Bad in the past. He was especially excited for today's sets, from what he'd seen they were going to be some of the best yet.

Thanking him for his help, Niki passed Ranboo the box of macaroons she'd brought from her bakery. She always brought some baked goods with her to the shows and rehearsals. It had to be one of Ranboo's favourite parts of doing these shows. Niki loved baking and it was even better when she could share what she made with her friends. The shows were a perfect time for that since everyone wanted something nice to eat after a show.

Techno came back to Niki and Ranboo, carrying with him his prop gold. He took one look at Ranboo and shook his head, reaching out to fix his mask. Techno explained to Ranboo how he should wear a masquerade mask to make sure it was comfortable without obscuring too much of his vision. Ranboo thanked him, the mask on his face feeling much less awkward. Falling into easy conversation with Niki, Techno offering a comment here and there.

Their calm was interrupted as Tommy scurried over, he was helping Sam with the props and stage management for this show since Bad was busy actually being in the show. He handed Niki and Ranboo their props, reminding Ranboo to be careful with the sword or he would ‘start stabbing shit’. Apparently, he had helped make the sword and didn't want it ruined. Techno rolled his eyes and ushered the tall gremlin away on the premise that Sam probably needed him to do something.

Ranboo was glad his friends were here, as both cast and crew, he felt more confident knowing there were people in his corner. That and there could never be a dull moment with the chaotic group.

“Soundcheck in 5!” Karl shouted from the main stage.

The reaction was unanimous and suddenly the excited hum of the theatre turned to a nervous buzz. After these last few checks, the audience would be arriving.

It was almost time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading kudos are much appreciated <333
> 
> Again as always my twitter is noodle_sok

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it thanks for reading <3
> 
> my twitter is noodle_sok  
> if anyone wants to know


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